


Vagabond Moon

by kanronotatsu



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-06
Updated: 2016-06-01
Packaged: 2018-04-19 10:51:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4743572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kanronotatsu/pseuds/kanronotatsu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Winchesters meet a mysterious woman in Limestone, who turns out to be someone very dangerous. As their paths keep crossing they have to figure out if they'll become enemies, or will work together for a common goal. <br/>Rated for blood and gore.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. How to leave a good impression on hunters

Have you ever walked under the full moon's light on a chilly winter night? I have, and I have to tell you, I can hardly imagine anything better than that. Clear, cold air fills your lungs when you breathe, your surroundings illuminated by a beautiful silver light… it’s heaven. It was just a night like that, the moonlight turning the dark and dirty alley I was in into some sort of slightly magical place. Everything was still, it was bone-chilling cold, and the pavement looked eerily silver and shiny.

The vampire was the only thing that seemed to be alive in the vicinity. He smelled of blood and decay, not a very good combination, if you ask me. He made the mistake of trying to gain the upper hand with me, they always do that, underestimate me because of my small stature. And because I’m a woman. Well, this one had to learn too that even if I seemed frail and weak, I could swing a machete with pretty good aim and power. When his head landed in the dumpster, he finally stopped sneering.

I cleared the blade on the trousers of the headless corpse and was about to go on my way, when I sniffed another one of the bastards. This one though had the smell of booze and some weeks’ worth of skipping showers lingering about him to add to the already staggering stench. My nose could hardly take it anymore, I didn’t throw up only because there was nothing in my stomach. Times like these I wished my senses weren’t so acute. Humans had it so easy with their weak sense of smell. I bet they’d start cleaning their streets very diligently if they could feel what I do when I walk around. But I digress.

Mr. Reek was now standing on the other side of the dumpster, probably looking for the vamp which was now in two pieces, one laying right at my feet. I was about to make Mr. Reek a head shorter too, but the sound of running steps coming closer stopped me. My smell was masked by the stench of the rotting trash beside me, so for the moment I wasn’t in any danger to be discovered by the bloodsucker. I crouched beside the wall, deciding to wait until we were completely alone again. I could only rely on my hearing to work out what was going on at the alley, I didn’t want to make my presence known to everyone in the vicinity by trying to peek. The running stopped, it was a human, a male, if my nose was correct, who arrived at the scene.

It turned out that the human was after a couple he had seen before, and he asked about them from Mr. Reek. Somehow I knew this would end badly for him. I held my machete a bit tighter, although I wasn’t really keen on being the saviour of the day. Playing hero was definitely not my style, and if there was a small chance of the vamp escaping and alerting his nest, that could ruin my plans entirely. So I decided to wait until the human was out of the picture. By one way or another.

“You’re pretty.”

What the fuck? I was pretty sure it was the vampire that spoke, but either way it was a very weird thing to say in this situation.

“Well, sorry pal, but I don’t play for your team.”

Okay, now it was just getting ridiculous. I wished I didn’t tarry so long by the dead vamp, and got my ass moving before these two idiots trapped me behind this dumpster. I had half a mind to just jump to the rooftop, but I was afraid it would alert the vamp. Contemplating other ways to escape by, I leaned my back against the cold metal, which was shortly shaken by a collision. By the grunts I guessed that was the sound of the human being tossed against the dumpster. Great. My options were running out. Either I save this human, and possibly jeopardize my whole plan, making this trip to this godforsaken town worth nothing; or I let him get eaten by the vamp while I hide behind a dumpster like a coward idiot. Neither option was good.

But neither needed to be carried out, it seemed, when another human male came running towards the alley. To stop some yards away and… stand still? Not even a cry, or some other sound signalling confusion or fear? What the fuck was happening here? Besides being underestimated I hated confusion the most, so I popped my head out from behind the wretched dumpster to actually observe the scene before me. Which was nothing less confusing. The vamp was holding a half-conscious man in the air, rubbing his bloody wrist onto his mouth, while another man was standing at the entrance of the alley, watching the whole thing with a kind of psycho-amazement.

With a sigh I straightened myself up and got behind Mr. Reek in two swift steps. I think he couldn’t sense me, but the psycho-looking man instantly changed from onlooker to active player, running towards us. I wrenched the vampire away from the poor soul he was holding, the guy was a goner anyway, he must’ve ingested some of the vamp blood by now. While I weighed the machete in my hand the vamp seemed intent on saving his life by running away, and I saw with chagrin that he flared his nostrils at me. I guessed that not his own foul smell was the reason he grimaced. Before I could take a balanced and precisely aimed swing at his neck I felt a current in the air and had to duck to avoid a blow aimed at me. At me, fuck you?!

While I was preoccupied with saving my neck from another swing of the attacker’s machete, Mr. Reek scaled the nearest wall and got away. I could've gone after him still, but this sudden and totally uncalled for hostility warranted some explanation.

“Who the hell are you?” asked the guy with the machete in his hand, looking coldly at me.

The other guy was sitting on the asphalt, blood smeared artistically all over his face. I looked between the two of them, trying to decide how to proceed. From what I saw already, I deduced that these two were hunters. Not the kind of lot I usually associated with. And I supposed that they wouldn’t be very friendly towards me either.

“I could ask you the same. You let that vamp get away and attacked me instead!”

He frowned. “You were too fast.” he said, I guess by the way of an explanation.

I frowned too. Everyone was frowning, including the guy sitting on the ground. Eventually he was the one who spoke first, but he didn't address me.

“Sammy.”

So that was the psycho-guy's name. We both looked down, then Sammy reached out his hand, and pulled the other hunter up. For a moment I felt like the third wheel for some reason while they talked about some Bobby and a Samuel. I wondered what their relationship could be. Were they simple partners? Friends? Relatives? Lovers?

“Dean…”

Okay, so their names were Sammy and Dean, hunters. I felt closer to them already, after this unintentional introduction. Sammy and Dean, my new hunter friends. Why did this sound familiar? Sam and Dean…

“Winchester?!”

I must’ve said that last part out aloud, because they both looked at me in surprise and a bit vary.

“Fuck.”

I took a step backwards, which made them narrow their eyes. Then Dean grimaced, like he smelled something awful. The change was already happening inside his system. I needed to get as far away from them as possible. Quickly.

“So who the hell are you?” asked Sam again, now that I successfully gained their full attention.

“No one you need to know.”

“Jesus, what is this smell?!” Dean exclaimed suddenly, which created the perfect division I needed to get away.

It only took a blink to jump onto a roof while both hunters were looking away from me. I imagined their surprise when the next moment there would be only thin air where I stood before. It was just as well that I could get away, because Dean, now turning into a full-fledged vampire, would smell me out from a mile away and I didn’t want them to know what I was. I was better off with hunters, especially as famous ones as the Winchesters, being totally ignorant about my existence. Lest they should get the idea to hunt me next. I'd rather keep my life peaceful and stress-free and with a hundred hunters on my tail that would be a tad bit difficult.

 

* * *

 

This chance encounter left me thinking. First of all, the Winchesters of all fucking hunters in the country happened to be in the same town I was doing business in too. Not only that they were famous, but had lots of connections in the hunter world. My carefully built up life would suffer a hit, if they would start digging after me. Unfortunately, I was sure I had already managed to leave an impression on them. Probably not a good one either. What a piece of crap luck.

And secondly, there was something seriously amiss with Sam Winchester. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but he wasn’t behaving like a human should. I knew a bit about humans, although I usually preferred to stay out of their company, and Sam was… not entirely human. How was that possible, I had absolutely no idea and thinking about this just made my head spin.

Putting the problem of the Winchesters aside, I still had work to do. The vamps were alerted to my presence by now, I imagined, so being quick was crucial. The full moon would wane by tomorrow, and I couldn’t afford losing the leverage. It was lucky that nights in winter lasted long, and that it was still quite early. The vamp nest was situated some miles out of town, now I knew, thanks to the vamp who ran away. Their smell was the only thing I needed to know to find them. And I could follow Mr. Reek to the very end of the Earth if necessary.

The nest was in an abandoned warehouse, with rusty doors and windows, in a state of apparent decay. Just like the vampires themselves. I know they liked these kind of places, where the smells and sights reminded them of their own selves. So very sentimental.

I circled the building from some distance away, from where my smell would not reach their nostrils so fast, as there was no wind blowing and the cold kept all scents down, about knee-level. It was a weird sensation when you walked and raised up a current with your movement, and the most ugly stenches hit your nose like tiny bombs from time to time. It was hell, especially for someone with as keen a nose as myself, and at a place like this, where every step reeked of vampires. It really was my greatest weakness that I couldn’t turn off my nose. I could manage my light-sensitive eyes and acute hearing, but it took an enormous amount of concentration to keep myself from swooning and/or throwing up when I smelled something awful. Now too I was trying hard to identify some fragments of scent and separate them from the cacophony invading my nostrils. By the second round I could find what I was looking for, and located a window on the south wall, a few inches from the ground, which I supposed led to a corridor at the basement level. It was just wide enough for me to fit into, so without any further ado, I went and broke it in.

I landed inside, on a long and dark corridor. The onslaught of scents here was stronger than ever, but I gave it my all, focused on the ones I was looking for and moved along the wall silently towards the eastern end. There was no vampire to stand in my way, it seems they weren't alerted to my presence yet.

I found the room on the connected corridor, a few steps away from the staircase leading up to the ground floor. As there was no one in earshot, I tore the handle down and pushed the door in. It was pitch dark inside, but I recognized three people immediately. Closest to me, sitting or lying by the wall in the corner, was Peter, one of the youngest of our pack, chained with something which suspiciously smelled like silver.

I kneeled beside him, he recognized me too, and stayed silent while I broke the chains from his wrists. The silver hardly burned my hand, but it hurt all the same. I could only imagine how much it hurt for Peter, who the moment he got free scurried away to the opposite wall. I heard him whisper to Claire, who was sitting there, and then another chain broke.

I went to the last prisoner, Jessie. She was in the worst condition as far as I could tell, the smell of her blood was still heavy and fresh in the room.

"They've just been here." Peter whispered to me, as if he could read my mind.

I freed Jessie too, and tried to slap her awake. She opened her eyes, but was clearly unable to walk, not to mention run.

"Peter, take her out of here. It's the full moon's night, so use the opportunity."

The lad nodded, pushed Claire out of the room and carried Jessie in his arms. I went after them, but judging by the sounds upstairs the vamps already knew we were escaping. I guided Peter to the broken window and told him where I left the car, handing him the keys. He stared at me for a while, frowning, but said nothing. He knew he didn't have to worry about me, although I knew he still would. He was a nice boy.

While they tried to climb out the broken window I went back to the other corridor to fight off any approaching vamp. It was now the time for some reckoning for everything they’ve done to my precious fledglings. The youngsters were of my own blood, my family, and these wretched vamps took them and tortured them for weeks before I could find their trail and come to their rescue. I couldn’t count how many times I’ve warned the vamps about the purebloods, spelling out to their obnoxiously pompous Alpha that they were under my protection. They wouldn’t listen. It wasn’t 100% their fault, maybe just 99%, because they felt our blood irresistible and they used it like a drug. But this fact didn’t soothe my anger one bit.

Having brought no knife or machete this time, I extracted my claws. They were sharper and stronger than any blade, and I could use them more skillfully. They were entirely more suited to chopping off heads quickly. Despite this, I preferred knives usually, because they were less conspicuous. But here I needn’t worry about being seen by any human.

The vamps were already on their way to stop the escapees. Unfortunately for them, they’ve ran into me on the dark corridor and ended up dead before they could do as much as blink. Some blood spilled on my face and got into my mouth, it had the most awful taste I ever encountered, and I’ve eaten lots and lots of weird stuff in my life.

“Eww, fuck. Disgusting.”

Leaving some headless corpses in my wake I ran up the stairs to the ground floor, which was brightly lit by some lamps. I mean ‘brightly’ in vampire terms, a human would probably find it a bit difficult to maneuver in the dim light. When I got to the last step a head rolled in front of me, bouncing down from the winding staircase leading to the next floor. I stopped to look at it in confusion, apparently someone else also started a purge in the nest. Looking up I saw two men struggle on the top of the stairs, then one promptly won by chopping the other’s head off. Would you know it, that man was Dean Winchester himself. Who was supposed to be a full-fledged vamp by now. Interesting.

“Very interesting.”

He heard me as he walked down the stairs, narrowing his eyes at me. He then grimaced, possibly because he caught my scent. Fortunately he couldn’t place it, I could see the confusion written on his face. He only knew that I wasn’t human.

“What is?”

“That you should be here. I thought…”

There was a movement in the air and Dean’s eyes widened for a second, before I ducked my head and spun out of arm’s reach of the vamp attacking from behind.

“That was not very nice.” I murmured as I grabbed the bloodsucker’s hand and brought her to the ground.

She was snarling at me with her teeth extracted. She stopped snarling when I separated her head from her neck. Blood was now dripping from my sleeves and covering my hands. I will need a change of clothes, I thought.

“As I was saying, I thought you’d be dead by now.” I said, turning back to the hunter.

But my words were lost in the air, because Dean was preoccupied with fighting the vamp who turned him. Mr. Reek was strong, I had to give him that, he probably sported a few decades on his account. Even so, the hunter was better than him, I could not imagine how, but he must’ve acquired better skills in his short life than the vamp could’ve in centuries.

Feeling another one of the creatures lurking behind be I spun around and got a raving mad vamp on my throat in a second. There was no time to toss him off of me, so he was able to bite me, just above my artery. Fucking great. This one had to say goodbye to his life too, but that didn’t change the fact that I was bleeding profusely out of a very serious wound. I sat down on the ground, trying to pull myself together, my hand pressed into my neck - not that it meant anything, the blood freely poured out of the wound either way.

As the smell of my blood filled up the space I saw that Mr. Reek reacted as I guessed he would, trying to get to me, to drink my blood. Crazy junkie. He was stopped by the Winchester boy, who used the diversion to chop his head off clean. I saw in Dean’s eyes that he too felt my blood calling out to him, and it was by great effort that he didn’t jump at the opportunity.

“I admire your self-control.” I whispered.

As for self-control, I had to demonstrate some too, because I felt the beast move inside me. There was a possibility that I would change, the severe blood loss triggered my body into trying to heal it by the most rapid way. But there was a hunter in eyeshot, and there wasn’t many things I desired less than to show a hunter my true self. No way. It was already a tricky situation, I doubted that the Winchesters would just forget about me. If Dean would see my other form… then my life would be screwed for sure, I would be hunted till the end of times by all these pesky hunters thinking they could kill me. It would be bothersome. So I gathered myself up and willed away the urge to change. Only my eyes shone in a blue light and a growl escaped my throat, as my body started healing itself.

Dean regarded me from a small distance, his eyes betrayed fear, curiosity and caution. I saw his hand grip his machete tighter, and the muscles in his neck were tense, ready to strike at any moment.

“Are you a wolf?” he asked, his voice lower than usual.

“You could say that.”

Feeling better already I started to walk away, towards the staircase leading into the basement. I had nothing else to do here, as far as I could tell, the whole nest was killed.

“Next time I saw you, I’ll kill you.” Dean called after me.

I turned around with raised eyebrows, then seeing how serious he was and how wound-up, I laughed.

“Kill me? Please… You’d better pray that we never meet again.”

Some color drained from his face, seeing my eyes light up again, but he managed to pull himself together. To keep up appearances he even flashed me a cocky grin.

“I’m not the one running away. Again.”

I smiled at him, which made him drop his grin and unconsciously take a step back. He immediately regretted the action, but it was now too late, we both knew that all that bravery was just for show. I nodded to him as goodbye then casually strode down the stairs, disappearing from his sight. A minute later I heard a car arriving, but then I was out of the building, going towards the forest. I knew I had to let the beast out and it filled me with anticipation, much like humans feel before opening Christmas presents. For a second I wondered what would happen to Dean, whether his brother would kill him or he would try to suppress the bloodlust and the instincts of the vampire inside. Then every thought and feeling was swept away by the change. It felt like casting away a mask you are forced to wear all the time. The sense of freedom and excitement rushed to my head and I started running, faster and faster, towards home.

* * *

**To be continued...**

_Please review, tell me what you think! Thanks for reading!_

 

 


	2. How to leave a better impression on hunters (I'm trying, okay?)

When I got back home to Chicago, the kids - as I used to call them - were gathered in the dining room. All five of them wore grim expressions, which told me that something was wrong. Peter, Claire, and Jessie were sitting close to each other, whispering, Annabel drummed a rhythm with her fingers on the table, and Sean, the oldest of the five, was leaning against the wall with his brows furrowed. Everyone looked up when I entered and suddenly the whole room went quiet.

“Is this an intervention?” I asked, trying to lighten the mood.

All eyes were now on Peter, who apparently took on the role of the herald. Of bad news, probably.

“Tanya, Rosa, Hernando, Stephen, and Marvin all went missing during the last week.” he said "We called everyone while you weren't here. And I can't reach Sarah either, but she had been out climbing so it's possible she's not back yet."

I pulled out a chair and sat down opposite to them, quite lost for words.

“So many... It couldn't have been the vamps again. They are bold, but this is a bit too much, even from them.”

Claire shook her head. “Rosa is the oldest. There's no way they could've taken her.”

She had a point. I looked at all of them in turn, they were all frightened, but composed. I taught them to be level-headed and cool in every situation, especially if it involved their loved ones. For a wolf to lose control would mean disaster and they knew it too.

“Okay, you three.” I turned to Claire, Jessie, and Peter "Can you tell me anything important or strange about the vampires who took you?"

Peter shrugged, Claire shook her head, and Jessie, who regained most of her strength by now, slowly nodded.

“I heard one of them mention a father. He said they are recruiting for their father.”

My impulse control was threatened. I gripped the table so hard that the wood cracked under my fingers, splinters falling to the floor. Annabel put her hand on my shoulder, whispering to Peter that maybe they should've, after all, broke the news to me more slowly.

“No, I'm okay, but Count Dracula is up for a severe scolding.”

Peter leaned forward and tapped on the table. He was slightly nervous and looked like he just had an inner debate with himself.

“If you are thinking about doing what _I_ think you want, then we should go with you.”

“No way. I won’t let you risk-”

“They are our family too, Lyla.”

Sean, who up until this moment was merging with the shadows, finally spoke up. He was - after Rosa - the oldest of the kids. Rosa moved out a few years ago, to LA, and since then Sean was the undisputed deputy chief of the pack here in Chicago. The Beta wolf, if you will. He was reserved in nature, and never really spoke until he had something important to say. Now he decided to argue with me, something the others were not comfortable with doing.

“I get it, Sean. I know. But you are… vulnerable.”

He sighed and sat down beside me on an empty chair. Sean still looked boyish, with his messy auburn hair and baby blue eyes, despite being nearly 40 years old. He was turned at age 18 and has been by my side since then, so he of all people should’ve known I would never let them risk their lives like this. You can call me overprotective, but they were only mortal. Not even their pureblood status could prevent their eventual dying, and I’d like them to die of old age, not by the hands of some vampire. I cared about them too much, they were my family, after all, my kids, all of them.

“But Lyla, we want to help.” Annabel said in a small voice.

All the others nodded in unison.

“At least let us help you find everyone. We know where the Alpha of the vampires is, but surely not everyone was taken to him straight.”

Claire really had a point here too. I capitulated my case.

“Okay. But promise me that you won’t go on any rescue mission without me. None of you.” here I looked pointedly at Sean, who was just as explosive as he was silent. He would be the first to head out on a heroic, albeit suicidal rescue attempt.

They all agreed to my terms. We decided to take a few days of leave, some from work, some from college, and set our efforts upon finding the missing members of the pack. It turned out that Peter was right, Sarah was only out climbing. When she heard about the others I had to use my “don’t try to argue with the Alpha” card to get her to stay put at home. Six people were more than enough to play PI.

The kids made inquiries about the missing persons at their schools or jobs, while I sorted through two weeks’ worth of newspapers and tabloids, looking for unusual supernatural activity. The results were quite alarming. As far as I could tell, many “people” disappeared in the last few weeks, and had been later found dead. The kidnappings were all well organized, no clues were left behind, nothing for me to go on. There was only one option left, I had to pay a visit to my dear cousin, the Alpha vamp, who was sure to be behind some of the kidnappings. To be honest, I wasn’t too happy about the prospect, but we found nothing else to go on. At least I knew where Count Dracula lived.

 

“Lyla, let me come with you.”

Sean was standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame. With arms locked in front of his chest and a deep frown on his face he was the very picture of concern.

“How many times do I have to say no? I need you here, Sean.”

“Then take somebody else. Jessie is fine now, and you know how good a fighter Annabel is.”

I put down the shirt I was holding, Sean disturbed me while I was in the process of packing my bags. He was right about everything, of course, both girls were excellent fighters, and I probably would’ve dragged them along with me, if I wasn’t going for an Alpha. Last time I had no choice but to leave Sean in Chicago to guard the others while I was in Limestone.

“Come here, sit down.”

I patted the couch and sat down, while Sean decided what to do. He dropped down next to me with a sigh, I guess he already knew what I was going to say.

“I cannot take anyone with me. It’s too dangerous.”

“That is exactly why-”

“No, Sean. It’s too dangerous _for_ _you_. Not for me. Besides, the Alpha vamp will not be happy to see me, I wouldn’t risk bringing you to his table, so to say.”

Sean nodded in silence, but I knew that he was too restless to think it through logically. And no one besides me had met Dracula before. Now that I think of it, he hates that nickname. I remember the first time I called him that, and he was far from pleased. The memory made me smile. I patted Sean on the back, and promised him that I will bring back the others. Hopefully alive.

“Please. You are the only one I would trust with keeping the others safe. You have to be here and take care of them, if anything should happen to me.”

He looked at me with pain in his eyes. _Great, I made him remember._

When we first met, Sean was dying. A wolf, not a pureblood, went rogue and massacred his entire family. I happened to be in the vicinity when this happened and I went to hunt down the wolf. Normally I wouldn’t do hunting. But in a way I was responsible for the werewolf attacks, so I felt an obligation to kill this vile one. Sean was in the hospital, with severe wounds, the doctors held out no hope for his recovery. Probably only I knew that he was bitten, and would turn sooner or later. But even like this the chance of him dying was big. I visited Sean the second day I was there, after I took down the werewolf. He was barely breathing, several large scars covered his torso, which were still seeping blood, and in general he looked like he was about to die. I sat down by the bed, debating with myself if I should or shouldn’t wake him up. The sight of another werewolf might trigger a severe reaction in him which could kill him in this state. But if I would let him be and then he would turn into the same savage beast that brutalised his family, my conscience wouldn’t take it.

When he blinked his eyes open and looked at me in surprise and fear I did all I could to calm him down. Sean could hardly understand what I was telling him, but I made myself very clear on two points: one that I would not, under any circumstance, hurt him; and the second that he still had a chance to live a slightly normal and happy life. The only thing I needed was his consent. One might say that a boy at the age of 18, on his deathbed, could not possibly give his consent to anything, but what other choice did I have? He agreed.

On that same night I stole him out of the hospital and went to a motel, where I gave him my blood via transfusion. It took a whole night until the change had taken effect and I could finally see his wounds disappearing. It almost drained me totally out of blood, though. So we had to go on our first hunt together right away. After that I taught him how to change fully, and how not to, how to hunt, how to control his senses and impulses, how to protect himself, how to use his strength, how to resist the temptation of human blood, and how to live a relatively normal life. Now he was almost forty, sitting next to me on the couch, looking utterly dejected. My kid, my Sean.

“Sean…”

“You always say that they cannot hurt you, yet every time you go away you entrust the whole pack to me, as if you’d never come back. Don’t tell me not to be worried, Lyla.”

“Look, you know very well that I would do anything for you all. But there are circumstances when it might be safer if I didn’t come home. I’m not saying I will die, but I wouldn’t want to bring hunters upon you for example. And there are things out there which are far worse than any hunter. I know that every time I step out of this house might be the last one. And I can’t tell this to the others, they wouldn’t understand. But you do, don’t you?”

He nodded, then wrapped his arms around me, leaning his head on my shoulder. I ran my hands through his hair, rubbing circles into his scalp, giving him the contact he desired. It conveyed safety and love, all of us were quite touchy-feely among the pack. And the exact opposite with others.

“Okay now, I have to go.”

Sean let out a sigh, then stood up and walked out of the room without even looking back.

* * *

A small assembly waited for me downstairs in the hall. They looked like a flock of scared sheep, which I didn’t hesitate to point out to them. Peter handed me the car keys. The old and battered ‘69 Camaro was meant to be disposable, to leave behind if needed. Nevertheless, it was still in use since I bought it in ‘69. I said my goodbyes in the form of hugs, made them swear that they wouldn’t try to rescue anyone without me, then took off. I wasn’t really worried about those who have stayed behind, more about those I went to save. The Alpha Vamp and I were in constant beef, we hated each other’s guts. Many times I warned him against taking my purebloods, but it seems he forgot about that. I will be sure to leave a permanent reminder this time.

After a long night’s drive I arrived at my destination. I left the car about a mile away from the Alpha’s house, hidden in the woods, key in the ignition. The Alpha’s house was hidden deep inside the forest, a convenient place to keep your activities hidden from the world. Forests always made me feel nostalgic, I still wished back the times I hunted for prey among trees like these. I crouched beside a friendly-looking pine and sniffed the air to get an image of what I was dealing with. Going into enemy territory blindly wasn’t a good idea.

As far as I could make out, the place was teeming with vampires. I hadn’t counted on there being so much of the bloodsuckers, and this made me rethink my original plan. Going into the house unseen was hardly an option anymore. I swore softly under my breath and stole closer to the garden among the trees. Now I could see the house too, the back door to be precise, and the two vamps who were clearly on guard duty. They didn’t catch my scent, I took care to come upwind, I was a skilled predator after all. Before charging in I had to make sure the kids were in the house. I wouldn’t want to fight my way through the vampires for nothing. I sniffed the air once more, and I could feel a trace amount of wolf scent in it. At least one of the purebloods were here. Good.

Taking down the two guard vamps was easier than I thought. After they were both dead I had to act quickly. This Alpha was capable of telepathic contact with his children, and he would be sure to know something was wrong by now. I tore open the back door and followed the wolf scent down to the basement before any vampire could see me. I heard the commotion from upstairs, but fortunately they didn’t think to look at the basement, where they kept their prisoners. I descended the stairs into the darkness which greeted me down there. Along with a cacophony of scents, mostly of blood, both rotten and fresh. It was not easy to distinguish the wolf among them. I walked past many poor humans, who were kept there as you keep canned food in the pantry. Finally I came upon my kids, two of them, judging by the smell they were Tanya and Hernando. I knew they recognized me, I heard their hearts beat faster, but not because of fear. I kneeled beside them and tore the silver chains from their ankles and wrists. Tanya started to say something when we heard the gunshots from above. Vampires didn’t use guns.

“Shit, we have to hurry.”

I helped Hernando to his feet, Tanya was well enough to walk on her own. The human bloodbags were wailing while we walked past them, some tried to plead with us to take them too. I was tempted for a moment, then decided against it. It wasn’t worth the risk.

“Tanya.”

I stopped her before she could step on the first stair. By then I knew what we were dealing with, the smell of humans and gunpowder and dead man’s blood was strong in the air. Hunters.

“Listen, I’ll give you a headstart, keep the vamps and hunters away from you, okay? You go find the car, take Hernando to Chicago, and tell Sean that if I won’t show up in a week then… He can do whatever he wants.”

Tanya nodded, then we walked up to the basement door. I stopped for a moment to let Hernando lean on Tanya instead of me, then listened to the noises outside. Someone was running towards us in the corridor, but otherwise the coast seemed clear to the back door. I swung open the door, right into the hunter’s face.

“Go go go.”

Hernando mustered enough strength to run, and they bolted towards the garden together. I closed the door then went after them. When I got out to the garden, the kids were already at the edge of the forest. Tanya turned back, and her eyes widened when she saw me.

“Lyla! Look out!”

I spun around just in time to avoid a blow aimed at my neck. Again. _For fuck’s sake, stop trying to cut my head off!_ I struck the machete out of the hunter’s hand, then got attacked by another one. He cut my arm I was trying to defend myself with. While I was occupied with taking him down, the other one got behind me and slashed right across my back. It hurt, very much actually, and I had enough of playing with them. Three blows in the right places - solar plexus, temple, and neck - were enough to knock them out cold. When I was about to turn and go after the kids, another figure appeared in my line of sight. Someone familiar.

“Winchester?”

It was the younger one, Sam. He looked at me with an odd expression, not fear, or surprise. More like… curiosity? There was a noise coming from the front lawn and movement in the corner of my eyes. I turned my head to see what was happening. Apparently Count Dracula - I would recognize those ugly nails anywhere - was being dragged away by the hunters. What the fuck? I opened my mouth to say something when a bullet hit my temple, exiting my head on the other side.

The pain was unbearable, it felt like my whole head was burning. I was dizzy for a few seconds too, my vision blacked out and I staggered a few steps backwards.

“Sam, what are you doing?”

“I think I found you another Alpha.”

“Then bag her.”

Before the headshot could heal perfectly Sam shot me in the stomach too. I doubled over, this was no merry ride. The bullets were silver, and while I wasn’t that much affected by it on the long run, the momentary pain they caused was torturous. I looked up at Sam, who was still aiming the gun at me, with a stone cold expression. _Not human, he is not completely human._

“What have I ever done to-”

The next shot went straight to my heart, which stopped for just enough time to render me unconscious. I dropped to the ground like a ragdoll.

* * *

The next I remember was being hauled out of a van, into a sort of warehouse. The place smelled awful, it must’ve been very old, the metals rusting, the old walls and floor stinking of piss and god knows what other substances. The pain in my arm suggested that there was a needle sticking out of it. It was kinda burning, so I guessed silver nitrate. Not a very good idea.

Apparently I lost consciousness again, because I woke up tied to a chair behind bars and I had no idea how I got there. The building was the same, that much I could tell immediately. The chains binding me were silver, heavy and thick, wrapped around my wrists, ankles, and torso. The hunters took off my shoes, which I noted with chagrin. They were brand new. I looked around, but there was absolutely nothing in sight which could tell me where I was and how will I get out of here. I had no other choice but to wait.

While I sat in silence, anxious to finally meet someone, I heard noises from some other room. As my sense of smell was effectively blocked by the stenches of the building I could only guess that what I heard was the interrogation of Count Dracula. I hoped the hunters tortured him well. Hm... that did sound odd. Torture well… How do you torture someone ‘well’? Some minutes after I heard the first voices someone came my way too.

I heard the footsteps and smelled the human when he got close enough. His scent was now stored in my memory, for later use. We exchanged glances, he was tall and bald, about 50 years old, and looked like he was having a shit day. Tell me about it.

“You see that needle in your arm?”

I looked down. Oh, yes, there it was, stuck in my right forearm.

“Now that you say it, I do. Didn’t notice before, though. It’s hard to tell with all this silver prickling my skin.” I tried to shrug but… Damn chains.

“It’s attached to that container.” he pointed to somewhere beside me.

I didn’t bother to look. “Let me guess... Silver-nitrate?”

“A copious amount. I could kill you if I wish.”

It required great effort not to laugh at that. I cleared my throat instead, and looked at him with pity in my eyes. At least that was what I was trying to convey.

“I’m sorry, but you can’t. And I would advise you not to inject that thing in me.”

He snorted, clearly he thought I was bluffing. Well, he can’t say later that I didn’t warn him.

“I want to know the location of Purgatory. That is all. Once you tell me, you can die quickly.”

I was dumbfounded. Purgatory? Purgatory was the place where monsters went after they died. Not heaven or hell, but this other, metaphysical place, exclusive for non-human souls. _What the hell do the hunters want with that? Go and kill every monster all over again? Wait, wait, how do they even know a place like that exists?_ Thoroughly confused, I could only gape.

“Purgatory?”

“Tell me where it is.”

“I’m not sure you noticed, but I’m still alive. How the fuck should I know where it is?”

“You are an Alpha.”

I stared at him blankly, waiting for a follow up. None came. “Soo...?”

He walked to that container he talked about. I followed him with my gaze as he moved, and could feel how uncomfortable he felt. Good. He was right to fear me.

“Maybe you’ll tell me after this.”

He turned a switch, and the grey substance in the container was drained into the thin tube attached to my arm. I couldn’t help following its route in the tube, anticipating the pain to come. Silver on my skin was one thing, silver in my veins was something completely different. The first few drops left me gasping, trying to hold back the screams. After a few moments I gave up and cried out. It was a fucking trip to hell, burning hot hell. How could I describe the feeling of fire passing through every part of your body? It burned my every single cell, leaving no place inside of me untouched. The good thing was that it passed as quickly as it spread. Half a minute of agonizing and I was good again.

The bald guy turned off the switch and asked me again.

“Where is Purgatory? How do I find it?”

After I managed to get my breathing normal again, I laughed at him.

“Wow, that was a joyride. Can we do this again?”

He seemed pissed enough when he stepped back to the container. This round was even worse than the first, if possible. But passed in a second.

“Answer me! Where is it?! How do I find it?!”

“I would try turning myself into a monster and dying. You’ll find it in no time.”

The third wave was nothing short of tortuous. Like being ripped apart from the inside into tiny little pieces. I screamed my lungs out, I think and maybe passed out for a second too. But the silver was already working hard inside of me, pumping in my veins, filling my body with raw power. Like I was plugged to a charger. One more round like this and I’ll be able to escape without effort. I just needed to piss off this guy once more. Easy as cake.

“I will not kill you until you talk.”

“I wonder… If you’re so lenient with me… What did you do to Dracula? Tried to tickle him to death?”

Oh yes, and there came the fourth ride. Taking me straight to the land of the unconscious.

* * *

 When I woke up I felt all the power I ever wanted surging in my veins. The silver had enough time to work up my mojo, it seemed. Stupid hunter, he thought silver would hurt me. But now he will learn. Breaking the chains and getting out of the cell was only a matter of seconds. My skin crawled and crackled with the caged heat and energy under it. I had to let it out. Another set of clothes I could say goodbye to. Oh well…

The change was fluid and easy, nothing like the full moon transformations. My wolf form - if I’m even allowed to say such a thing - was something to behold. Pure white fur, a little black on the tip of my ears and paws, long, elegant claws, razor sharp teeth, and blazing blue eyes - okay, that last was due to the magic which created me. I enjoyed immensely when I was in wolf form, it was more natural to me than being a human. Sadly I couldn’t turn as much as I would’ve liked, because I was too conspicuous a sight. But now I could not hide, the beast was eager to explore the world again.

The only thing I was worried about were the hunters. Will they continue to pursue me? Will they turn every stone just to find me? Will they turn their attention to all of the wolves? I couldn’t have that. So either I will kill them all or intimidate them enough so they won’t try to look for me. The former was a bit more tempting for the wolf, but my rational brain was set on the latter solution. Fortunately I have learned a long time ago to control the wolf’s impulses. Lucky for the hunters.

My senses were boosted to the point where I could easily tell where everyone was, and if that person was a human or something else. It seemed that Dracula got out of his cage too. These hunters really did a splendid job, keeping their prisoners imprisoned. Something else I noticed is that both Sam and Dean Winchester were in the compound. And Dean wasn’t a vampire. I pricked up my ears and started in their direction. I wanted to see the look on their faces - especially on Sam - when they see me. It will be hilarious. Besides, the Alpha vamp was near them. I also had unfinished business with him.

 

Dracula was strangling Sam when I arrived upon them. They were both too preoccupied with each other to notice me as I stole behind the Alpha. Sam’s eyes widened when he saw me as I changed forms and grabbed the vampire’s neck from behind, lifting him into the air with one - now human - hand.

“Dear, dear cousin. Missed me?”

Sam scrambled away the moment the vampire let go of him. Meanwhile Dean arrived too, I could hear his heart racing in his chest. Both hunters and the vampire oozed the smell of fear. Damn right they should. I tossed Dracula against the wall, turned him around and wrapped my fingers around his throat.

“Fancy meeting you here, sister.”

“The only times you call me sister is when I want to kill you. It irritates me, you know. To be related to scum like you.”

“What the hell is happening here? Sam, shoot them!”

About five other hunters ran into us, one of them was the bald douche who interrogated me.

“Don’t you da-”

Multiple gunshots hit my back, cutting me off. It wasn’t Sam, though. I let go of the Alpha, let him collapse on the floor, and turned my attention to Dean Winchester.

“Are you done?”

He looked with wide eyes as the bullets fell to the floor, along with a few drops of blood. They felt like tiny stings on my skin, but even that was gone in an instant, and I knew the wounds they caused were healed perfectly by then.

“Would you just stay quiet for a while? I have things to discuss here.”

Count Dracula was trying to escape, so I dug my claws into his shoulder.

“Would you care to explain why I found two of my kids in your basement?”

He looked up at me with panic in his eyes.

“I’m sorry, sister, it won’t-”

“It better not! Remember the last time we talked about this? When I told you to LEAVE THE FUCKING PUREBLOODS ALONE?!”

I extracted my claws from his shoulder and put my bloody fingers on his face.

“I guess you don’t, because then why would you have kidnapped those two? But, never mind, I’ll leave you a reminder this time.”

I grabbed his chin to keep his head motionless while I dragged my claws across his face, leaving bloody, deep gashes behind. I knew this won’t heal without a trace, so from now on every time he looks into the mirror, he will be reminded not to fuck with me. Ever again. Then I let him slump to the floor.

“Now!” someone shouted behind me, then I felt a prickle on my skin.

This time the shot of silver didn’t cause any pain whatsoever. I spun around to find Dean behind me with the syringe in his hand and a cocky grin on his face. It faded the moment he saw my eyes blazing. I chose to change slowly this time, so they could see and remember. I know, I’m a show-off, but it was important they remember what are they going up against in case they should choose to hunt me down.

I kept eye contact with Dean, I just really wanted to see his reaction. His genuine, pure fear and awe. He didn’t break eye contact either, didn’t take a step back, it was like his feet took root in the ground. Some gunshots rang in my ear, and possibly some bullets hit me, but they were nothing to me now. They were nothing to the wolf.

“I haven’t seen the Silver Wolf in ages.” Dracula commented behind me.

He seemed pretty relaxed, which irked me, so I spun around and buried one claw in his right eye. Another reminder not to be so casual with me. While his scream echoed off the walls I changed back to my human form so I could talk to the hunters. I looked at each of them in turn, trying to see into their minds. The bald guy was the biggest problem, he seemed hell bent on hunting me down after this. _Especially_ after this. Maybe I should kill him, and leave the others alone. Setting an example was a good deterrent. But no, that’s not how I do things. That thought was from the wolf, the primal animal, the beast, not from this other _me_. I could think rationally, and killing humans in cold blood wasn’t my style.

“You’re only alive because I let you. Remember this.”

This was possibly the most cliche exit line ever, but nevermind. After another change I walked out of the warehouse, leaving the stunned hunters alone with their thoughts. They had a lot to digest, I assume.


End file.
